The Conqueror Worm
by BrianHG
Summary: Andromeda, Star Trek, and Stargate universes struggle against the nigh-omnipotent Borg Collective. This is the final entry of the Vortex series.
1. Fear

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Disclaimer:  
I do not own any of the shows depicted in this story, or any part thereof. All rights to these properties are retained by their respective owners.  
  
Note:  
This is the fourth, and final, entry in the Vortex series. That doesn't mean that I'll never do another crossover, nor does it mean that I won't use this series as a base. It simply means that the story arc ends here. I hope you enjoyed it.  
  
The story primarily revolves around the main characters of Star Trek, Stargate SG1, and Andromeda, however there are minor parts contributed by other franchises. You should have no trouble appreciating the story if you are familiar with those three. I realise that some of the multi-universe crossovers have experienced a 'series creep', in which they throw tons of shows together and try to wedge them into the plot. I promise that I will keep everything relevant, and only stick to pulling all the loose ends of the previous stories together.  
  
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"Ah, the stars. From them, we have warmth and light, and soft breezes. They spark our imaginations, and inspire us to reach upward. All the while, stars writhe constantly with the power of millions of warheads. In their fury, they cast out blasts of searing plasma. They explode, destroying everything around them, and leave only the vast emptiness that is a black hole. Woe to civilization… to have parents like these."  
  
- Vitesh, CY 9823  
  
------  
  
"We're getting a signal," The gate room operator spoke hurriedly, "It's SG-3."  
  
"Open the iris," Hammond ordered.  
  
Down in the gateroom, a team of soldiers rushed through the bluish wormhole, which closed as they made it to the platform. Colonel O'Neil immediately walked up to speak with them.  
  
"Aren't you back a little early?"  
  
"Sorry," Col. Adams looked down briefly, "The entire stronghold was wiped out. We barely got out before they broke into the gate room. The Asgard mother ship couldn't do a thing to the hostile ship, and the ground troops are starting to modify the Goa'uld hand devices to work with the shields they've been using. Even the heavy stuff was worthless this time. The alliance is losing ground fast, and according to intelligence we picked up from the Tolan, the enemy hasn't lost a battle yet in this war."  
  
General Hammond had been listening to the conversation, and quickly gave orders over the PA, "All SG teams, report to conference room one immediately. Lt. Pierce, report to medical and give them all the information you can."  
  
***  
  
"We had assumed that the Borg were gaining these new technologies from the future," Admiral Witman explained, "Are you suggesting that the Borg have somehow been assimilating alternate time lines?"  
  
"Impossible," Admiral Natchev interrupted, "In all encounters with alternate timelines, no one has ever reported anything divergent enough to give the Borg this kind of technology. They have advanced weapons, engines, sensors, and shields."  
  
"Our theory is that all time lines are aligned so that the more divergent a timeline is, the more barriers you have to cross to reach it. Random phenomenon usually only breach a few, and never connect to the most distant timelines. However, the Borg have a technology that allows them to cross these barriers at will, and go to any timeline with a technology or species that they wish to assimilate."  
  
"So, out of an infinite set of possibilities, how are the Borg able to find a particular timeline? The Borg don't appear to be the kind of species that would search at random," Witman asked.  
  
"Have any of you heard of a work of fiction called 'Lost in Space'?" Janeway asked.  
  
"It sounds familiar…" Admiral Carson began, "It was a television show, wasn't it? Twentieth century, as I recall."  
  
"You know your history," Janeway observed.  
  
"Well, I've always gotten a certain amount of pleasure from seeing how ancient people reguarded space exploration."  
  
"What does this have to do with the Borg?" Natchev demanded.  
  
"As you may have noticed in my report, we got a great deal of information from the collective before our officers were lost. One entry in the database mentioned that series, so we looked it up in our computers. In this timeline, Lost in Space was a long-running science fiction series, and it spawned three spin-offs and two films. However, this series doesn't even exist in the Commonwealth's universe."  
  
Witman nodded, "Captain Picard mentioned that they had a science fiction series that mirrored our reality…"  
  
"Appearantly, the events in Lost in Space were also real in another time line," Janeway added, "We believe that the collective is somehow using information from earth science fiction to locate targets for assimilation. If we could locate the source timeline that they've been using to navigate, we could travel to their potential targets and find allies. In each of these timelines, at least some of the assimilated technology is well known. For every layer of impenetrable armor, for every super weapon, and for every shield system; there is a timeline out there with a way to counter it. If we could find those, we could stop the Borg."  
  
"Nice theory, but how do you plan to put it into practice?" Natchev asked, "The Borg aren't just going to tell you where they got their information."  
  
"Every object in existance has a quantum signature. It is a unique property of each time line, and it can't be changed. We believe that we could use the quantum signature of an item from the source timeline and compare it with alternate timelines until we find the source. Seven believed that the computers at Starfleet headquarters could be hooked up to a modified drive system, and search for the right quantum signature automatically. She felt that we could track down the right one in a matter of days."  
  
"Good," Natchev responded, "Because that's how long we have. The Borg have begun systematically assimilating our boarder colonies. According to estimates, the Federation will be gone within a week. A single Cube with technology from alternate timelines wiped out the sixth, seventh, and eigth fleets simultaneously without a scratch. Only the Enterprise and a handful of ships survived."  
  
"You wouldn't happen to have an item from the source galaxy, would you?" Witman asked.  
  
"We think so," Janeway paused, "After the Enterprise killed the enemy bioship on the original passage through the vortex, Andromeda returned to the site to collect samples of the ship's hull. When we initially came up with our plan, we asked for a piece of the destroyed bioship, and they provided one."  
  
"I plan to assemble a special task force to deal with this situation," Witman said, "The Enterprise will be leading the mission, as they have the most experience with the Borg, and with alternate timelines. You will be second in command of the task force. The Defiant and the Temujin will round out the force."  
  
"My flagship and the Detroit will act in a long-range support capacity," Admiral Natchev stated, "If we encounter the Borg, I intend to do everything in my power to prevent the assimilation of the Enterprise or Voyager."  
  
"Still using the Agamemnon, Admiral?" Janeway smiled.  
  
"I wouldn't trade it for all the Sovereigns in starfleet. I put in special orders to get a Lakota refit for her, and a few extras. The Borg aren't getting past us without a fight," Admiral Natchev attempted to appear confident, though she knew her mission was suicide.  
  
***  
  
Q watched silently as the Eclipse class star destroyer fired its superweapon harmlessly against the Cube. The shields wavered, and energy from the planet-destroying beam blasted the Borg hull. Even after opening a tiny breach in the shields, it had enough force to vaporize a small moon. Still, the Cube continued silently, inexorably for the planet below. The hull was hardly scratched by the immense firepower, and the shields were at full strength again in seconds. The Eclipse was the only defender left.  
  
The new Death Star had already been assimilated, and drones were beaming down to the planet, now impervious to blasters and conventional weapons alike. Assimilation had become such a meaningless process. The collective grew in size, but it already had consumed every piece of technology belonging to the Empire. In fact, the armor of the Sun Crusher had significantly improved their already impressive hull technology. They had six different weapons capable of destroying planets with ease now, and the collective expected to acquire at least ten more by the end of the month.  
  
'The Borg are becoming too strong,' Q thought, 'A few more years of this, and they'll be a threat to the continuum…'  
  
The Eclipse began charging it's superlaser again. The chief engineer wondered why they even bothered. They should give up and try to escape. As quickly as the massive ship could manage, it swung around and brought its main gun to bear against the planet. Then, the engineer knew what was about to happen. Thrawn was down there recovering, and Moff Kedrin was going to sacrifice Coruscant to keep him from being assimilated.  
  
The engineer shook his head, and looked up to Kedrin, "One last act of defiance? I hope the Borg think torture is irrelevant."  
  
"We'll soon see, old friend," Kedrin responded, "Either way, I think we're doing the people down there a favor."  
  
***  
  
"Beka, there is no shame… in shedding a tear for people we've lost," Rev said.  
  
"Really?" Beka looked right through him, "Did you cry Rev?"  
  
"Yes, I did," The wayist responded frankly, "We know you're a strong person, and no one would think less of you…"  
  
"There isn't really anyone left, is there? I hardly know Dylan and Tyr. It's just the two of us now, and the Maru. I'm not sure why I'm even letting those two stay on board. This is my ship, and I'm tired of putting my life on the line for the Commonwealth."  
  
"Beka, you're using anger to avoid facing the pain," Rev said.  
  
"Oh is that what I'm doing? Thank you Doctor Bem."  
  
"I may not have a degree, but I am your friend. I know when you're in pain, when you're afraid, and when you don't know what to do."  
  
"My friend? I don't have any friends," Beka responded, "If I had friends, I'd be in pain right now, because that's what friends and relatives do. They just cause you pain."  
  
"You don't mean that…"  
  
"I don't? Look, I've been around the block a few times, and every friend I've ever had either died or stabbed me in the back. Maybe when Dylan gets his Commonwealth going, it won't be like that, but I don't think I'll live to see it. Tyr was right; I'm not doing this unless I get something out of it, I don't see that happening. You can keep working on the Commonwealth if you want, but not on my ship."  
  
"Beka, I never died, and I would never stab you in the back."  
  
"I told you, you're not my friend. Now get out, and leave me alone." 


	2. Machinations

"We've begun evacuating Federation territory," Admiral Witman said, "We found a parellel universe that could support life, but didn't have any living organisms in it. Starfleet has called in as many ships as possible to aid in the effort, even old Constitution class ships."  
  
"The Federation council must have realised how desparate the situation has become," Picard nodded, "What is our progress in finding the source universe?"  
  
"Thanks to Data's algorithm, we should be getting a result within the next few hours," Witman paused, "If this thing even works."  
  
"Admiral, our chief engineer feels that…" Picard wasn't able to finish his sentence, as a young ensign burst into the Admiral's office.  
  
"I'm sorry, sir," The young man saluted his superior officer, "But the computers found a match. The task force can get started whenever it's ready."  
  
"Did you hear that, Captain?" Admiral Witman turned back to the viewscreen.  
  
"I assume you want us to get underway immediately," Picard responded, "I will inform the rest of the task force."  
  
"Good," Witman said, "We'll open a vortex to the source universe ASAP. Captain, we're counting on you. No matter what happens, you have to get the information back to us."  
  
"Understood," The Captain responded, "Picard out."  
  
***  
  
"There… there must be something we haven't tried," Daniel began.  
  
"What about Ishan?" Sam asked, "He had more advanced technology than anyone we met before, and he did warn us that an invasion was on the way. Maybe he knows how to stop them."  
  
"Ishan warned us about those bioship guys," Jack pointed out, "The Borg aren't anything like them."  
  
"We have to try," Sam responded.  
  
"I agree," General Hammond answered.  
  
"There's only one problem," Daniel stated, "We've never used the stargate to travel between dimensions without Ishan's help. We logged his co-ordinates, so we could dial the gate, but we won't have enough power to connect the wormhole."  
  
"I think I can arrange some for some extra power, if that's what we need," The General answered, "How much can the gate take?"  
  
"The gate technology is a lot more advanced than ours," Daniel responded, "We've seen them take direct hits from Death Gliders and keep working. I don't think we'll have enough power to overload it."  
  
"Teal'c, do you know how much power it will take?" Hammond asked.  
  
"I do not believe the Goa'uld have ever used the gate to travel to other dimensions," Teal'c answered, "I do not know how difficult it will be."  
  
"Fine," General Hammond said, "I'll bring in as much power as possible. Be ready for an extended mission starting tomarrow, at the earliest. Dismissed."  
  
The General watched as SG1 filed out, then picked up the red phone. He took a moment to prepare his explanation, and took the receiver off the hook, "Get me the President."  
  
***  
  
"Is that supposed to bother me?" Tyr asked.  
  
"You tell me," Dylan responded, "You're the security officer. You were supposed to protect Harper during this mission, but he died anyway. You didn't even go on the boarding party. If I were in your situation, I'm not sure how I'd handle it."  
  
"Is that an accusation?" Tyr looked Dylan in the eyes, unblinking.  
  
"No, I didn't mean that you weren't doing your duty. I know you did what you thought was best at the time. We all thought that a small group would have a better chance to suceed. I just want you to know that none of this is your fault."  
  
"I'm a Neitzchian," Tyr stated, flatly, "I don't care about their deaths. However, the loss of the ship does make our survival more difficult, and that bothers me. If females didn't question my genetic quality for joining your crew, they certainly would for letting the ship get destroyed."  
  
"You didn't let anyone destroy the Andromeda. It just happened, and none of us could have done anything about it, not even Harper."  
  
"Placing blame is something humans do because they feel remorse and regret. I only care about the outcome, and this was not the best outcome for me. I should have done things differently."  
  
"You don't feel any remorse?" Dylan asked.  
  
"Never. I won't let a waste of energy like that get in my way."  
  
Dylan paused for a moment, "I don't believe you. You can try to deny it, but beneath the bonespurs and the engineered immune system, you're human. No matter how hard you try to push it away, you feel something when a member of the crew dies. If you really are beyond good and evil, why are you so afraid of emotions?"  
  
"I'm not afraid," Tyr took a step forward.  
  
Dylan put his hand up, "Don't answer that."  
  
Tyr crossed his arms and grunted. Dylan waited for a moment, hoping to catch a glimpse of his officer's reaction, but soon turned to go. Tyr watched silently, unmoving, as the Captain returned to the bridge of the tiny freighter.  
  
***  
  
"What is this place?" Captain Picard looked at the image on the viewscreen.  
  
"It looks like liquid space…" Chakotay responded, "Species 8472's territory was like this. Did we make a wrong turn?"  
  
"According to my readings, we have reached the correct quantum reality," Data responded, "Astrometric data is almost entirely consistent with our intended destination. However, sensors are not detecting earth in this sector."  
  
"What?" Picard asked.  
  
"In this reality, the orbit normally used by earth is occupied by a small asteroid belt."  
  
"They destroyed the planet," Riker could barely say it.  
  
"If there is anything left of the data, we have to find it quickly," Chakotay said, "When we entered liquid space, it sent vibrations through the fluid. Whoever controls this area will know we're here."  
  
"Mr. Data," Picard ordered, "Signal all vessels. Tell them to spread out and search the asteroid field as quickly as possible. Order Voyager to scan the surface of Mars before joining the others. Look for life signs, or any sign of human civilization."  
  
Data responded, "The fluid permeating this area is interfering with our sensors. A complete survey will require seven hours.  
  
"Do everything you can to reduce that," Picard responded, then pressed a key on the arm of his chair, "Bridge to engineering, we need to find a way to improve our sensor accuracy in this area."  
  
"We're already on it, sir," Geordi responded, "We're going to try using the liquid for a type of interphasic sonar. We'll need a few minutes to alter the deflector dish."  
  
"Make it so," Captain Picard said, "Data, transmit the specifications for the new sensor system to the other vessels."  
  
"Captain, we are being hailed on all frequencies, but we aren't detecting any ships in the area, and we can't trace the signal," Security officer Hirs stated.  
  
"We are the Borg. Lower your shields and prepare to be assimilated. Resistance is futile."  
  
"Order all ships to continue the search," Picard said, "We must not fail."  
  
"The Defiant is hailing us," Hirs said, "They've found… something on one of the larger asteroids."  
  
"Mr. Data, bring us to the Defiant's location. Transmit greetings on all channels."  
  
"We're getting a response from the asteroid," Hirs said.  
  
"On screen."  
  
"It's true," A haggard, human male appeared on the viewscreen, "You're human. We thought the colony ship might have survived, but we we're sure. How did you get past the screamers?"  
  
"We are from an alternate timeline," Captain Picard explained, "We need information about your history."  
  
"An alternate timeline?" The man shook his head, "That doesn't matter now. You have to help us. The screamers plundered our world, then they destroyed it. Now, something else is out there, and they've destroyed all the other colonies. Get us out of here, we'll tell you whatever you need to know."  
  
"We can use our transporters to bring you over to our ship, but we will have to do so quickly."  
  
"Transporters?" The human asked, "You mean you'll break us into pieces and pull us over to the ship? I didn't think that was possible."  
  
"Do you agree?" Picard asked.  
  
"Yes, anything. Just get us out of here. The main computer core for the colony is in the room with me. It's about two meters on a side. Can you beam it up too?"  
  
"We will," Picard answered, "How many colonists are there?"  
  
"Two hundred fifteen," He responded.  
  
"Understood, prepare for transport," Picard signaled to cut communications, "Send a message to all ships, and have them converge to this location. Begin transporting the colonists and the computer core immediately. We will return to Federation space as soon as we have everyone."  
  
"Captain, interphasic sensors are detecting a Borg Cube at extreme range and closing. They appear to be moving at low warp. The Agamemnon and the Detroit are moving to intercept."  
  
"Why would they approach at low warp?" Picard asked, half-rhetorically.  
  
"Maybe they're trying to minimize the disruption of the liquid," Chakotay surmized, "Make it harder for us to find them."  
  
"The Cube has reached standard sensor range," Data stated, "They are dropping out of warp near the Agamemnon, and are proceeding at high sublight."  
  
"On screen," Picard ordered.  
  
The officers watched as the refit Excelsior stood its ground in defiance of the powerful cube. The Sovereign class Detroit was converging on the location. The Borg made no move to attack the vessels as it moved swiftly in the direction of the Federation task force. The crew of the Enterprise made no sound, until two explosions broke the tension.  
  
"They rammed it," Commander Riker found himself aghast once again, "They didn't even slow down."  
  
"Yes," Data responded, "And the Detroit was destroyed by a weapon of unknown origin."  
  
"Get us out of here," Picard ordered.  
  
"We will reach the vortex in four seconds," Data stated… "The Borg have engaged warp drive, and are aproaching rapidly."  
  
"Signal starfleet to close the vortex as soon as we reach Federation territory."  
  
"Sir, the final ship is through the vortex… The aperture is closing."  
  
"They'll signal the collective in this timeline before long," Riker stated, "We have to find a secure location." 


	3. Friends in Need

Babylon 6 rotated silently in the shadow of a massive gas giant. The new station was designed entirely for battle. Even the Vorlons and Shadows had offered to supply some technology for this final stronghold against the Borg invasion. Still, it could offer little resistance to fully armed cube. Even so, the EA, Minbari, and several others were putting their final hope in the station. Situated on the edge of Borg territory, the inevitable showdown for control of the star system would be the Armageddon of their galaxy.  
  
A middle-aged officer burst into the room, "Kosh, are you here?"  
  
The cycloptic exterior of the Vorlon turned from an image on a nearby screen to look at the ambassador. Kosh waited to hear what the Narn had to say that was so urgent.  
  
"Kosh," The ambassador took a moment to calm his voice, "I know you have a way to contact the other First Ones. Why haven't you? We know they're out there, in some nearby galaxy. You're the only one who can reach them, and you know we can't stop these… these Borg without their help."  
  
Strange noises eminated from the Vorlon for a moment, "Some would say that the Borg deserve this galaxy, as they have the power to conquer it."  
  
"I've heard of you before," N'Kal looked at the ambassador for a moment, "Until now, I didn't believe that you'd be complacent in a time like this. Why won't you contact the First Ones?"  
  
"Not even they are masters of time," The Vorlon responded, "Now, only time can defeat the Borg."  
  
"Time? What good does that do us?" The Narn demanded, "When the Borg decide to attack, they'll wipe us all out in weeks."  
  
"It may do us more good than you now realise. For now, you must wait."  
  
***  
  
"General, this was a very expensive operation, and we've never done anything like it before. If this doesn't work out, I'll have your head on a platter."  
  
"Don't worry, Mr. Secretary," The general responded, "Our best people are convinced that this is the only solution."  
  
"We'll see," The Secretary of Defense answered curtly, and left the office.  
  
The General left a moment later, and headed for the surface. SG1 was already standing near the massive electric fence that had been completed only a short time ago.  
  
Jack looked at the thick, frost-covered bundle of cabling and equipment that stretched off into the distance. Marines patrolled the entire perimeter of the sensative equipment.  
  
"General," Jack turned to meet his commanding officer, "Where exactly does this stuff go?"  
  
"The Marines didn't seem interested in talking about it," Daniel added.  
  
"The Pacific Ocean," General Hammond responded, "We couldn't get enough energy directly from a power plant without risking the entire power grid. Luckily, the Enterprise was in dry dock for repairs. We decided to use its nuclear reactor to power the stargate for this mission."  
  
"So… this is all superconducting wire…" Daniel began.  
  
"All the way to the Ocean?" Sam asked, "That must have cost a fortune."  
  
"The Secretary of Defense had to a cut an entire battleship from the budget to pay for this operation," General Hammond explained, "So we'd better get this right."  
  
***  
  
President Yedri extended his hand to Picard, "I'm not sure I understand everything that's happened… but thank you. They would have found us before long."  
  
"What happened?" Picard asked, "How did they destroy the planet?"  
  
"It was 2114, December," Yedri responded, "The screamers contacted some of us telepathically. They studied us, and decided we weren't worthy of survival. Some kind of miniature black hole appeared and eight ships came through. They destroyed earth with a beam weapon, then put a factory Venus. That would have been the end of humanity, but luckily we still had some of the defense domes in place from World War III. About three of our domes survived the initial attack. Even then, we only survived because Kennedy Dome was able to repair one of the space shuttles. We started working together, and learned to survive on these asteroid colonies. After awhile, we built a shuttle with enough storage capacity to support a colony-sized crew indefinately. We sent it in the direction Alpha Centauri, and hoped for the best."  
  
"Has this area always been filled with fluid?" Picard asked.  
  
"No," Yedri answered, "We found out later that the factory on Venus was designed to eat through the planet and turn it into a primordial soup. We're not sure how it works, but the facility had already finished off Venus and Mars when the Borg arrived, and it was on its way to our asteroid field."  
  
"What happened when the Borg came?"  
  
"We noticed a disruption in the fluid, and a big metal Cube came in out of nowhere. It sucked in the Venus factory, and a couple of the Screamers' ships came out of a black hole to attack them. The Cube was damaged, but it won. Then, it started searching the asteroid field. They found Kennedy Dome and Alexandria Dome. We aren't sure what happened next, but no shuttles have returned from either one since then. They were getting dangerously close to us, when about twenty Screamers showed up and took care of the Cube."  
  
"Mr. Yedri," Picard began, "The Borg are native to our dimension, and we believe they have been using your science fiction to locate targets for their attacks."  
  
"Why us?" President Yedri asked.  
  
"We aren't certain," Picard tried to explain, "But we need your help to stop them. We believe that we can use data from your computers to determine what the Borg have been attacking. Will you help us?"  
  
"What about us?" Yedri asked, "We have no homeworld, and we have no intention of going back to the colongy."  
  
"Of course," Picard considered the situation for a moment, "There are many uninhabited worlds within Federation territory. We may be able to give you asylum. I will have to consult with the Federation council first."  
  
"Very well," Yedri nodded, "Once we have made arrangements with the council, I'll show you how to access our computers."  
  
***  
  
"OK, where are we?" Jack asked.  
  
"This must be where Ishan dialed in from," Sam responded, looking around the cavernous room.  
  
"It… looks different in person," Daniel stated.  
  
"Let's spread out," Jack ordered, "Look for anything that might give us an idea on how to get out of this room."  
  
"Um…" Daniel began, "I don't think…"  
  
A bright flash blinded the rest of the SG team, and Daniel vanished from the room.  
  
***  
  
Daniel quickly looked around. The architecture of this room was similar to the huge gateroom, with the walls, floor, and ceiling covered in elegantly designed fabric. The clean and smooth appearance of the cloth suggested that it was far more resiliant than any similar material from earth.  
  
"Sorry about not warning you," Ishan apologized, "They recognized you from our databases, and immediately brought me in to take care of it. I really did want to get a chance to speak with you personally before we brought the rest of your people in."  
  
"Why me?" Daniel asked.  
  
"You did seem to be the least dangerous one, judging by the last time I worked with you."  
  
"Thank you… I think."  
  
"Now, don't worry about the rest of SG1. I've already sent someone down to speak with them. Anyway, down to the business at hand. I gather that you're here because of your trouble with the Borg."  
  
"How did you know that?"  
  
"With all the spies we have throughout the multiverse, did you really think yours was exempt."  
  
"No… I suppose not."  
  
"The Borg are a bit of a problem," Ishan answered, "We haven't come up with a way to beat them just yet. Don't worry about it, though. We have our best people working on it."  
  
"Why did you have to separate us to say that?" Daniel asked.  
  
"We really don't have time to argue, so I wanted to deal with only one of you. You'll have to tell the others. We don't have the resources available for guests at the moment. The Borg are causing problems throughout the multiverse, and all of us are working almost non-stop to slow them down as much as possible. I'm afraid you and the rest of SG1 will have to go back to earth. When we come up with a solution, we promise that you'll hear about it right away."  
  
"Well, wait," Daniel said, "Maybe we can help. We've fought the Borg, and we've worked with you before."  
  
Ishan looked at him quizically, "You really want to help, even if it means facing the Borg in a direct conflict? You could be assimilated."  
  
"Maybe I'm not technically in the military, but we have a duty to protect our world. We aren't afraid of risking our lives if it improves earth's chances in this war."  
  
"I meant what I said," Ishan responded, "We don't have the manpower to make special accomodations for your people. We'll provide you with room and board, but we won't have anyone around to give you a tour or explain how things work."  
  
"We'll manage," Daniel answered.  
  
A half-smile appeared on Ishan's face, "Alright. I'm going on a mission tomarrow, and I could use a hand. I'll send you the files, and you can come with me to the briefing in the morning… about two hours from now. You can go on the mission with me, if you think you can handle it."  
  
"We'll do what we can."  
  
"That's a pretty ambiguous way of responding," Ishan observed, "I think you'll do just fine."  
  
***  
  
"You're trying again?" Beka asked.  
  
"Ever heard the phrase, 'Fortune favors the bold'?" Dylan asked.  
  
"The bold, not the suicidal," Tyr responded.  
  
"It's a fine line, Tyr," Dylan answered, "The Borg say they've destroyed Tarn Vedra. I want to be sure."  
  
"You want to risk my ship even though the Borg already said that they've destroyed that planet?"  
  
"There's more in that system than Tarn Vedra. Even if they've destroyed that planet, the colony on Vir Vedra could still be standing, or the emergency facilities on Mejj Vedra. We lost Andromeda, Trance, and Harper trying to stop the Borg. I'm not going half way on this. I'm going to make sure they aren't still in that system, and I will repair as much damage as I can. If you don't want to risk your ship, fine. I'll hire another ship, and I'll fly it myself if I have to."  
  
"How?" Beka asked, "You couldn't afford to pay a Nightsider to spit on you. Besides you know I'm the only one here with a chance of pulling it off."  
  
"I'll find a way."  
  
"I can't vouch for them," Rev said, "But I will help you."  
  
Beka huffed, "Fine. I'll take you to see the Vedrans."  
  
Tyr stood, looking dispassionate as always, "Kill yourselves if you want, but if what you say is true, the weapon stores are gone. I have no reason to go."  
  
"Alright," Dylan responded, "We'll pick you up when we get back."  
  
"Hey, I'm the captain, and I give the orders on this ship," Beka said. Tyr raised his eyebrow at her. She looked back at him, and spoke coldly, "We'll be going past Chicago drift before we hit anything too rough. I'm sure you won't have any trouble finding a place to stay." 


	4. Loss

"So what is this thing?" Jack asked.  
  
"It is a joint effort of the First Ones," Ishan explained.  
  
"Who?" Jack asked.  
  
"I told you that we wouldn't have time for Ethnic Diversity 101," Ishan answered, "Let's just say that it's an impressive little gizmo… for that universe anyway. Its unusual enough for us to acquire, and that's all you have to know for now."  
  
"What do you want us to do?"  
  
"Just distract people long enough for me to get it out of there."  
  
"What about that time stopping thing you used last time?"  
  
"Too power intensive," Ishan responded quickly, "This is supposed to be a low key mission. Just get in and get out."  
  
"If this device is as advanced as you suggest, we can expect heavy resistance," Teal'c noted.  
  
"Well, I do have a little device to make myself go invisible. You have them too, and I'm sorry that we didn't have time to show you how to use them. You won't really need them anyway, since you have to be visible to keep people away."  
  
"How are we getting into this space station?" Sam asked.  
  
"We'll use a vortex," Ishan said, "It would help if they had a stargate but we don't really need one on their end. Luckily, it's a pretty hectic time for them right now. We can open the vortex in one of the closed sections. After that, you shouldn't have any trouble blending in. Just be glad they have humans on the station already."  
  
"So, how do we get out?" Jack prodded.  
  
Ishan sighed, "They'll open the vortex again from this side in two hours, then for a short time every hour after that if we don't make it on time. If we can't get back by the end of the day, their time, we'll be on our own getting back. Now, enough questions. We're ready to open the vortex."  
  
***  
  
"Where do we go first?" Chakotay asked.  
  
"I will require time to compile the information," Data responded, "I must view the entirety of a series, then create a 'divergence index' to tell us how distant their timeline is from ours. I believe I will be able to determine a destination within the next three days."  
  
Commander Chakotay stayed for a bit longer to see how quickly Data was progressing, then headed to his temporary quarters on the Enterprise. Once there, he contacted Voyager.  
  
"I'm glad you got a chance to call," Janeway greeted him, "How are things aboard the Enterprise?"  
  
"Fine. They think we'll be able to get underway in a few days."  
  
"Good," Captain Janeway responded, "We don't have any time to waste. I don't like waiting around here while the Borg destroy innocent people."  
  
"I don't think we'll have trouble finding allies out there. The Borg have a way of making old enemies put aside their differences."  
  
"Let's hope so. If we can't upgrade our technology, the Borg will take over the entire multiverse before long."  
  
"It's worse than that, Kathy," Q appeared behind the captain, "The Borg are becoming much too powerful already."  
  
"Q?" Janeway turned, "Are you here to give us a hand?"  
  
"Yes and no," Q answered, smiling briefly, "The Borg are about two weeks away from assimilating an empire known as the Culture. The Culture's technology is so advanced that it nearly puts them on a plane with super-sentients. After the Culture, then they'll go after the Douwd. With Douwd abilities, they'll be a threat to the continuum. We can't let that happen. If they do overpower the Culture, we'll wipe out all life in the multiverse to keep them from getting any further."  
  
"Why?" Janeway demanded, "Why can't you just destroy the Borg, and let the rest of us get on with our lives?"  
  
"Sentients," Q shook his head, "Your minds are so limited. You can't possibly understand how things like this work."  
  
"Try me," Captain Janeway responded.  
  
"You don't even have words for most of the ideas I'd have to explain," Q stated, "You'll just have to wait for a couple of weeks and find out for yourself."  
  
***  
  
"It's up ahead," Ishan whispered, "We won't…"  
  
Without warning, the room was shaken violently. People immediately began running in all directions, and a warning siren wailed in the background.  
  
"What's going on?" Sam asked, raising her voice over the pandamonium.  
  
"The Borg!" Ishan responded, "Follow me."  
  
Ishan led them into a darkened room, and began speaking urgently.  
  
"They've started evacuating the station. This place won't last long against a Cube, so we have to find a ship and get out," Ishan touched the controls on the devices that the SG team had been given, causing them to become invisible, "Just use the sensor device to see where I go, and I'll get us a ride out."  
  
Jack, Teal'C, Sam, and Daniel placed the goggles over their eyes, and were able to see Ishan again. He walked swiftly down the halls, not caring who he happened to bump into. The walkways were so crowded that even that didn't make anyone aware of his presense. Before long, they had reached an airlock, and went through. Ishan led them into the vessel's cargo hold. The ship was small and cramped, but none of them expected to be on it for long.  
  
In moments, they heard the airlock close. The vessel shuddered only slightly as it pulled away from the station. Behind them, Babylon 6 was being cut to pieces, and brought aboard the Borg Cubes for study.  
  
"Now what?" Jack asked, quietly.  
  
"Now, when my people reopen the vortex, they'll only find empty space. We're on our own getting back."  
  
"What about the thing we were supposed to get?" Daniel asked.  
  
"I chose this ship because Kosh left the device here. I hope to get another chance when we stop again."  
  
"Why would they place an important device on a poorly-armed vessel?" Teal'c wondered.  
  
"I'm not sure," Ishan shook his head, "It's strange… Kosh picked up the device and headed for the ship just before the Borg attacked."  
  
"Is Kosh on the ship?" Sam glanced around the darkened cargo area.  
  
"No, he stayed with the defense fleet on the station," Ishan answered, "Luckily, he left the device here."  
  
The vessel soon exited hyperspace, and a device that Ishan was carrying sent a very mild jolt of electricity into his arm. He smiled as he motioned for the SG team to move closer.  
  
"I've detected a vortex generator in this universe. It would have taken me months to build a stargate from scratch," Ishan explained, putting noticeable effort into keeping his voice quiet, "We have to track down the generator and use it to get back to my people… We may have to commandeer this ship."  
  
"It shouldn't be too hard," Jack said, "We are invisble."  
  
"I'd like to try a diplomatic approach first," Ishan responded, "Still, I want Sam to stay cloaked, and have her Zat ready if we need her."  
  
***  
  
The beeping of the small device irritated her more than it usually did as she watched it pass over her head. She didn't want to be here, but the Captain had insisted that everyone near the radiation leak had to go to sickbay.  
  
"Minor skin irritation," The Doctor stated as he examined the readings, "Slight bruising near the third cranial ridge."  
  
B'Elenna huffed, "I could have told her that."  
  
"Perhaps you have a future in medicine. Not everyone can check for a potential concussion without a medical tricorder."  
  
"Thanks. Just give me a clean bill of health, and let me get back to work."  
  
"You're free to go," The Doctor turned to Icheb, and muttered, "It's good to see that Starfleet's most advanced holotechnology is being appreciated."  
  
"I would not be concerned," Icheb said, "She hasn't been the same since the incident."  
  
"No one has been," The Doctor responded, "The Captain's done everything she could, but there isn't much hope of rallying the crew at a time like this."  
  
"Depression, anger, and denial are common reactions for most sensient life forms when a friend is lost," Icheb stated.  
  
"What about you? Have you been feeling alright?"  
  
"I will miss them," Icheb's face did not show his emotions, "However, I am more concerned with Natalie Wildman. She is very young, and she was close to Seven of Nine."  
  
"I am too," The Doctor confessed, "I've never seen a child suffering from depression as severe as hers. Her parents are literally worrying themselves sick. Captain Janeway gave them leave to spend time with her, but even that doesn't seem to be helping."  
  
"The crew should be functioning at maximum efficiency to deal with the Borg threat. There is no room for error."  
  
"Don't worry, they're professionals. I don't think they'll let this get in the way of their duty. Still, they can't keep this up forever. Right now, we're all feeling vulnerable. Sooner or later, something has to break."  
  
***  
  
"Beka, we're done," Dylan said, "Let's pack it in."  
  
"I'm not tired. I think we should keep going," Beka responded.  
  
"You're not tired, yet," Dylan reminded her, "But we're six jumps away from the next rest stop. By then, you'll be exhausted."  
  
"My ship, remember?"  
  
"Beka," Rev came up to her, "They say that those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it."  
  
Beka stood up, "OK, but don't blame me if it takes us the next two years just to get there."  
  
"It's been waiting for three hundred years; I don't think a leisurely pace is going to be a problem," Dylan paused, "One more thing. I think we should be working in shifts. I'll handle the next set of jumps. Then, you can take over in the morning."  
  
"Like hell you will," Beka stood nose to nose with Dylan, "Look, you may still be playing captain, but I'll be damned if I'm going to let you pilot my ship."  
  
"Beka, what has gotten into you?"  
  
"Oh I don't know, let me think… Could it have something to do with losing Harper, Trance, and Rommie? Or maybe it's because you don't seem to care."  
  
"You don't think I care?" Dylan echoed, "Beka, it's killing me. I was always trained to keep my emotions under control during my watch. I guess I've been hiding it too well. I'm sorry. I should have known that you wouldn't handle this like a High Guard officer."  
  
Beka felt something on her cheek. Immediately, she reached up and brushed it away, "I've lost people before. I just… I need some time in the stream."  
  
"…To help you forget."  
  
Beka blinked back tears, "Yeah. Do you have a problem with that too?"  
  
"When a High Guard ship loses someone, the officers used to…"  
  
"Would you shut up about the High Guard," Beka rubbed forcefully at her eyes, "The Commonwealth is dead. It's been dead for three hundred years, and it's not coming back."  
  
Dylan didn't move or speak, but she could see in his eyes that he was hurt. He had doubts of his own, and loosing Rommie looked like the final nail in the coffin. Hearing those words from his first officer made him feel as though he had been kicked in the stomach.  
  
"I'm sorry," Beka looked down for a moment, and could feel Dylan's hand touch her arm, "When mom died, Uncle Sid used to tell me that crying made my dad feel worse."  
  
Dylan put his other arm around Beka, and hugged her gently, "You have to let it out."  
  
Beka let her head fall to his shoulder, and tears started to come. She blinked at first, trying to hold back, but let go after a moment. It wasn't just for Trance, Harper, and Rommie now, but for all of them. For her parents, for everyone who had dissapointed her, for her brother and for Uncle Sid. Rev was her only family now…  
  
Dylan held her, gently patting her back and whispering the few comforting words that came to him. He wanted to let go too, but he couldn't. Not in front of the crew. Beka had years of habit and force of will holding her emotions down, but Dylan had even more. He had too much training to change now. When he lost Sarah and Rhade, Rommie was the only one left that he could really confide in, and now she was gone too. He needed time.  



	5. Collaboration

"You honestly think you can stop them?"  
  
"Yes," Ishan responded, matter-of-factly.  
  
"Why should I believe you?"  
  
Ishan looked over at the SG team for a moment, then shrugged, "Do you have a better destination in mind?"  
  
The Narn scoffed at the response, but there really was no where to go now. The last remaining First One was dead. Babylon 6 had been destroyed. The Minbari and Humans had lost their home worlds. The Narn were reduced to a few nomads scattered throughout the galaxy. He was without choices.  
  
"Fine, I'll take you to this starship you've told me about. It won't take long to get there with Hyperspace."  
  
N'Kal was right. They reached the area that had once been occupied by Babylon 5 in a matter of minutes. Thanks to the Borg, there was no trace left of it. Things might have been much worse, though. The entire galaxy might have fallen long ago if the Collective had the logistical ability to occupy the sector after the attack devestated the station.  
  
Now, there were only two pieces of technology in the entire star system. The old Narn freighter with some Vorlon technology added to it, and the Enterprise E.  
  
"What do you think?" Ishan asked.  
  
"Nice looking ship," N'Kal responded, "I haven't seen any like that before. Are you saying that it can defeat a Borg Cube?"  
  
"No," Ishan shook his head, smiling slightly, "Not until we're done with it."  
  
"They're trying to contact us," N'Kal stated. He manipulated a control panel for a moment, and an image of a older human appeared on the screen.  
  
"Greetings. I am Captain Jean Luc Picard of the USS Enterprise."  
  
"Greetings," The Narn captain responded, "I am captain N'Kal."  
  
"Captain," Picard began, "We have heard reports of Borg incursions in this area."  
  
"There have been some," N'Kal stated, cautiously.  
  
"We are on a diplomatic mission on behalf of the United Federation of Planets. Our information suggested that a station in the area would be the most logical starting point. However, we have not been able to locate it."  
  
"The station is gone," N'Kal responded flatly, "There isn't much left to ally with, if that's what you're looking for. The Centauri are the only ones who still have a stable government."  
  
"Could you tell us how to contact them?" Picard asked.  
  
"I can take you to their current government complex."  
  
Ishan stepped forward, and began speaking into the comm, "Captain Picard, I suggest you bring this ship into one of your shuttle bays. Since you don't have hyperspace, and we don't have warp drive, it would be a little difficult for us to lead you to the Centauri."  
  
"Of course," Picard paused for a moment, "May I ask how you know of our technology?"  
  
"Vortex drive may be a new invention for you, but my people have been using it for centuries."  
  
"You are from an alternate reality?" Picard asked.  
  
"Yes," Ishan nodded, "I suggest we talk about this later. Considering the speed of warp drive, we'll have plenty of time to clear things up on the way to the Centauri government."  
  
"Agreed," Picard responded.  
  
"Wait a minute," N'Kal broke in, "We didn't discuss that."  
  
Ishan waved his hand slightly, and said, "It's alright. You can trust the Enterprise."  
  
"On second thought," N'Kal said slowly, "We can trust the Enterprise."  
  
"Captain, prepare to bring us aboard," Ishan smiled.  
  
***  
  
"Now what do you expect me to do?" N'Kal asked.  
  
"I suggest you watch some TV," Ishan responded.  
  
"TV?" Jack asked, "Why?"  
  
"It's difficult to explain," Ishan said, "Basically, the realities shown on TV actually exist in other dimensions. We'll be going to some of them, so you should try to learn more about those realities."  
  
SG1 was dumbstruck for a moment. Even Teal'C, who had only recently become familiar with television, found the entire notion impossible to believe, yet coming from Ishan, it was impossible to reject.  
  
"What is TV?" N'Kal asked, irritated at being the only one unfamiliar with it.  
  
"I'll show you," Ishan walked over to one of the Enterprise's computer consoles, "Computer, display television records from the dome colony, authorization Ishan, 3-9-Echo-Alpha."  
  
"You have authorization codes for their computers?" N'Kal asked, suspiciously.  
  
"Never leave home without them," Ishan quipped, then he turned back to the console, "Computer, display Star Trek: First Contact."  
  
Ishan pressed a few keys on the console, and turned to leave.  
  
"Wait," Sam was still trying to grasp the information that Ishan had given them, "Where are you going?"  
  
"I have a meeting with the captain," Ishan explained, "Don't worry. That movie should help you learn about this timeline. When it finishes, the console will give you a list of movies and TV shows. Just pick out whatever looks interesting. I'll be back before too long."  
  
***  
  
"We're just passing through."  
  
"Just passing through? Perhaps you didn't hear me the first time. No one passes through our territory without paying the fee."  
  
Dylan Hunt looked at the image for a moment, considering his options, "How long has this policy been in place?"  
  
"We've been holding on to this territory, and asserting our rights as a sovereign power for over two years now."  
  
"Funny, I don't recall paying any toll the last time I was here."  
  
"Our patrols don't have any record of your 'Maru' ever trespassing here before."  
  
"Try checking under 'Andromeda Ascendant,'" Dylan responded evenly, "I'm her captain."  
  
"The Andromeda? As in the High Guard starship Andromeda?" The checkpoint officer laughed, "What would the captain of such a ship be doing on a little freighter like yours?"  
  
"We're on a supply run. My ship has a damaged graviton induction manifold, and I'm on my way to pick up a new one."  
  
"That doesn't answer my question. If you really are the captain of the Andromeda, why didn't you just send one of your other officers to get one?"  
  
"I'm the only one who knows how to deal with the Supreme Customer Service Agent Edro."  
  
"Perseids," The officer muttered, "I suppose I can believe that."  
  
"Just check your records," Dylan said, "I'm sure you'll find my picture right next to Andromeda's."  
  
"Hmph," The odd-looking alien responded, "All you apes look alike to me."  
  
"Am I free to go, or do I have to call my ship, and let it give you a counter-offer?"  
  
The alien looked a bit nervous about that prospect, "No reason to have your vessel come all the way down here. Your ID seems to be in order. I'll be sure to let the headquarters know that you'll be coming back through here. I'm sure you and the Maru won't have any further difficulties."  
  
"Thank you," Dylan smiled, "It was a pleasure working with you."  
  
He shut off the con, and Beka smiled back at him wryly, "Nice bluff."  
  
"Now let's get out of here before he checks with his headquarters."  
  
"Say no more," Beka responded, taking hold of the Maru's controls and preparing to enter the slipstream. 


	6. Checkmate

"There it is!" N'Kal practically leapt from his chair.  
  
"Huh?" Jack asked, groggily. They had been watching sci-fi shows for the last nine hours, and the humans were exhausted. Teal'c and N'Kal were getting tired as well, but they managed to pay close attention to the information being revealed in the episodes.  
  
"That's… Voyager, isn't it?" Daniel asked.  
  
"Yes, but look at this," N'Kal turned the images back to a few moments ago. A massive vessel was firing a beam of blue energy at the starship Voyager, "On the station, Kosh told me that time could be used to stop the Borg."  
  
"Time?" Jack looked sceptically at the Narn.  
  
"That is the temporal incursion weapon," N'Kal explained, "It erases a target from history. All we have to do is find the Borg home world, and we can stop all this from ever happening."  
  
"Kosh was the Vorlon from Babylon 5," Teal'c observed, "Does he have prior knowledge of the Borg?"  
  
"Babylon 6," N'Kal corrected, "The Kosh on Babylon 5 was someone else. I'm not sure if he was ever involved with the Borg, but he is one of the First Ones. They know things. This wouldn't be the most surprising thing he's ever done."  
  
"So, you're saying we should find this 'incursion weapon' and use it against the Borg?" Sam was understandably sceptical about trying to get help from the Krenim time ship.  
  
"I don't think we have any other choice."  
  
"Ishan's been gone for a long time," Daniel reminded them, "We should probably be checking with the captain anyway."  
  
Jack walked over to the door, "They shouldn't be that hard to find on a little ship like this."  
  
At that moment, the door wooshed open, and Ishan stepped in, "I hope you had a productive time."  
  
"How do you do that?"  
  
"Do what?"  
  
"Forget it," Jack responded, "There's something we think you should see."  
  
***  
  
"Everything that happened got erased from the timeline," Chakotay explained, "So we wouldn't have any memory of it."  
  
"Alright," Janeway took a sip of her coffee, "How are we supposed to find these Krenim?"  
  
"They're in the Delta Quadrant," Commander Chakotay answered over the comm, "Data thinks he can use information from the show to get a good idea of where they are."  
  
"I still can't believe it," Janeway commented, "Practically my entire time as captain was recorded for prosperity, and I didn't even know it."  
  
"You're the lucky one," Chakotay smiled, "They say the cameras add ten pounds, and I don't think I can handle any more."  
  
Captain Janeway smiled, "Do you think all of this is on a television somewhere? It's hard to imagine, someone out there could be watching us at any time."  
  
"What's the old saying? All the worlds a stage."  
  
"Even so, there are some things that are better left behind the curtain."  
  
"The Equinox," Chakotay reasoned, "Those were dark times."  
  
"I'm not proud of that, but it's something else. The thought of people seeing my private life really disturbes me. I'm not sure that I can describe it. One of the episodes showed me during our alliance with the Borg, when I ended up in sickbay. I felt so weak. I never wanted anyone to see me that way, and now…"  
  
"I know what you mean," Chakotay answered quietly, "I feel like I have to constantly look over my shoulder, as though someone were stalking me. I keep wondering if someone is looking at me right now, if they can hear my thoughts. No one should have to go through that."  
  
"I've made plenty of mistakes in my life," Janeway added, "I've gotten over most of them, but now I can't help but get angry with myself for not getting it right. It's one thing to be ashamed of something you've done, but it's something else to know that half the universe saw it."  
  
"Now that we know, maybe there's something we can do about it," Chakotay said, trying to bring some hope into the conversation, "My father used to tell me that if I felt like I had to hide something I was doing, I probably shouldn't be doing it at all."  
  
"I don't know about you," Janeway took another drink from the mug, "But there are plenty of things that I don't regret, that I still wouldn't want posted on a billboard for all the worlds to see."  
  
***  
  
"Captain," Data pressed the backlit keys on his console, "I have detected a temporal signature that is consistent with what we know of the Krenim. I believe the time ship is nearby."  
  
"Number One, order a search pattern," Picard rose from the captain's chair, "Data, can you plot a course based on the readings?"  
  
"The temporal signature is highly delocalized in nature. It is highly unlikely that we would be able to locate the origin with current readings."  
  
"I may be able to help with that," Ishan offered, walking to the front of the bridge, "Data, do you mind?"  
  
Commander Data looked back at the captain. Picard nodded, giving his approval. Quickly, Ishan took Data's place at the console while the android watched from over his shoulder.  
  
"What are you doing?" Data asked.  
  
"I'm trying to boost your sensor output," Ishan responded, "These devices are a little primitive, but I think I can remodulate it to the same phase variance as the time ship… there. The time ship is at course 314 mark 68."  
  
Ishan stood, and Data returned to his station.  
  
"Hail them," Picard ordered.  
  
"Who are you?" The Krenim captain asked.  
  
"I am Captain Jean Luc Picard of the USS Enterprise, speaking on behalf of the United Federation of Planets. We have an urgent matter we wish to discuss with you."  
  
"Urgent? I hope you realise that 'urgent' is a relative term."  
  
"Have you had contact with the Borg?" Picard asked in response.  
  
"Everyone has, in some way."  
  
"We require your assistance to stop them."  
  
"They destroyed the entire Krenim Imperium, except for this ship. Don't you think that I've wanted to destroy them. Scanning you ship tells me that your temporal technology is very limited. You don't have any idea of the calculations needed to wipe out the collective."  
  
"Your temporal weapon is the only one which may still be effective against them," Picard emplored, "Will you join us?"  
  
"I can understand why you need my help, but I fail to see what you would constribute."  
  
"We have a target for your incursion device," Picard responded, "If you erase it, all of this will have never happened."  
  
"The Borg homeworld, I suppose," The as yet unidentified Krenim commander smirked, "Don't you think I've tried that? The Romulans used a protomatter device to destroy that system already. It would take me centuries to erase enough of the particles to effect the Borg. By then, they will have adapted to my temporal shielding technology and assimilated everyone on this ship."  
  
"No, there is another target, in another dimension. We have the ability to take you there."  
  
The alien paused, "Alright Captain, I'll see if this works. We had better move quickly though, a Borg Cube is on an intercept course. It will be in your sensor range shortly."  
  
"We will open a vortex into the other dimension," Picard explained, "Follow us in."  
  
"Captain," Data added, "The Borg have dropped out of warp at a distance of one hundred fifty thousand kilometers, well within firing range."  
  
"They're firing something at the temporal warship," Hirs stated.  
  
"They've knocked out the temporal shields somehow," The Krenim officer stated over the still-active comm, "They have us in a tractor beam."  
  
"Mr. Hirs," Picard turned quickly to his weapons officer, "Fire all weapons at the Borg cube. Attempt to cut off the tractor beam. Data, open a vortex and prepare to take us in at my mark."  
  
"Direct hit," Hirs stated, "Weapons had no effect."  
  
"They're beaming drones in. We can't--"  
  
"We have lost communication with the Krenim," Data pointed out needlessly.  
  
"Tell the fleet to go through the vortex," Picard ordered, "Can we beam the survivors off the Krenim ship."  
  
"A Borg dampening field is permeating the area," Data responded, "Transporters, shields, and long range sensors are offline."  
  
"Bridge to engineering. Geordi, can you compensate for the dampening field?"  
  
"We're trying, but it doesn't look good," LaForge responded, "We've never seen anything like this before."  
  
Picard paused, trying to think of another way to escape, "We must not allow the Borg to assimilate the temporal warship. Lock all weapons on that vessel, and fire."  
  
"The time ship has been destroyed," Hirs stated.  
  
"Engage," Picard ordered.  
  
"The Borg are not in persuit," Data informed them as the Enterprise fled through the vortex.  
  
***  
  
N'Kal rested his head on his hand, "There must be a way. Can't we try again, in a timeline that's similar to this one?"  
  
"Due to limitations in the vortex technology, there must be a significant difference between timelines in order to travel from one to the other," Data responded, "We will not be able to locate the Krenim vessel again."  
  
"Maybe there is another time weapon that we could use," N'Kal suggested, "What about the Guardian on the Edge of Forever?"  
  
"The Guardian has already been captured by the Borg. Although it has almost certainly resisted assimilation, I doubt we will be able to retrieve it."  
  
"Wait, what about the deflector dish?" Sam asked, "After you helped Cochrane make his warp flight, you used the dish to travel through time."  
  
"An intriguing possibility," Data's eyes seemed to brighten as he considered, "We ran numerous scans of the Krenim vessel during the encounter. If we fire a chronometric pulse at the precise temporal modulation, it may be possible to turn the deflector dish into an incursion device."  
  
"It sounds like a good idea to me," Ishan nodded.  
  
"I will suggest it to the captain immediately," Data said, leaving the SG team, Ishan, and N'Kal in the spacious quarters that they had been given.  
  
***  
  
Two days later, everything was in place. Voyager, the Defiant, and any other vessels that could be spared were sent to alternate timelines to report back after the Enterprise carried out its temporal incursion. Luckily, the Borg had spread themselves extremely thin. In order to assimilate as many places as possible, they had left few defenses behind for their territory. There was little chance of any of them encountering a Borg vessel.  
  
"We're approaching the planet," Hirs informed them, as the Federation task force glided swiftly through liquid space.  
  
The tension of the bridge was suddenly broken by a brilliant flash from Riker's chair.  
  
"An inventive plan, Picard," Q smiled, "Although you don't get all the credit for once."  
  
"We have no time for this, Q," Picard responded angrily.  
  
"You have no idea how right you are," Q's eyes were even more devilish than normal, "Did Tatoo tell you what I talked to Kathy about?"  
  
"Commander Chakotay told us that you had threatened to wipe all life out of existence."  
  
"Well, time's just about up. Already, the Borg have begun attacking Douwd territory. Soon, one of the Douwd will be weak enough to be captured, and the assimilation process can begin. Once he falls, there is no turning back. The end of history is at hand, Picard. Are you prepared to meet the end that your human religions warned you about? It's fate, armaggeddon, call it what you will, but you can't stop it."  
  
"We are not ready to die yet," Picard stood up and walked toward the viewscreen. An image of Species 8475's homeworld loomed before him.  
  
"You have until the count of three to put everything right again," Q looked at Picard, his face appearing as though he would show no remorse for the action he was preparing to take, "Good luck."  
  
"We're within range of the planet," Hirs stated.  
  
"Raise temporal shielding," Riker ordered.  
  
"One," Q began counting.  
  
"Fire," Picard ordered, his face as stern as iron.  
  
"Direct hit," Hirs observed, "Temporal incursion wave is spreading throughout the sector."  
  
"Two," Q raised his arm as to snap his fingers for the last time.  
  
The wave front ripped across space time, altering the multiverse. Species 8475 had never existed, and the lives of people throughout innumerable timelines in innumerable universes would not be the same. And yet…  
  
…History refused to change.  
  
"Status report," Picard requested urgently.  
  
"I am detecting residual Borg power signatures. Reports from our vessels in alternate timelines indicate that the Borg are still active."  
  
"What went wrong?" Captain Picard demanded.  
  
"Oh the arrogance," Q smirked, "You really believed that the Borg didn't have temporal shields of their own."  
  
"Mr. LaForge," Picard tapped his comm badge, "We have to find some way to overcome temporal shielding. Can you modify the incursion device to do so?"  
  
"Need I remind you that time has run out?" Q still bore a smug look on his face in spite of it all, "A valient effort, Mon Capitan, but it was too little too late. I hope you enjoyed existance while it lasted."  
  
"Just a moment," Picard took a step towards Q.  
  
"No second chances this time," Q spoke quickly, "Three!" 


	7. The Change

"Radiation is nearing critical," Rev stated, "We have to hurry."  
  
"It'll take us another few minutes to get away from the gravity well," Dylan responded.  
  
"I can handle it," Beka assured them, "I'll just…"  
  
"Warning, radiation exceeding maximum tolerance levels," The Maru stated, "Acute radiation poisoning is imminent."  
  
"Wait," Rev said, "I'm picking something up… it looks like some kind of wave is traveling through-"  
  
"Tyr, report!" Dylan shouted.  
  
"Defensive missles aren't working," Tyr answered, "We should return fire."  
  
"Rommie, ready two Strike Arrows and prepare to fire," Dylan ordered.  
  
"Missles loaded," Rommie stated as the display showed the ammunition clip switching attack mode.  
  
"Those are surface strike missles," Tyr reminded him, "You'll never hit an enemy ship from this distance."  
  
"I don't plan on firing from this distance," Dylan responded, "Rommie, take us in, maximum PSL."  
  
"Understood," The holographic avatar responded.  
  
"Tyr," Dylan ordered, "Keep firing OM-5's from the available tubes."  
  
"Missles away," Tyr responded, "But you're making a dangerous decision."  
  
"The enemy vessel is moving off at 35 PSL," Rommie added.  
  
"Beka, come in," Dylan placed a hand on the control panel.  
  
"We're ready when you are," Beka said, "But you know they'll throw us around like a rag doll when we hit them."  
  
"Don't worry, you won't have them on the line for long."  
  
"We aren't going to get any second chances," Rev pointed out, "If this doesn't work the first time…"  
  
"Don't worry, I'll make sure your ship comes back in one piece," Dylan paused, "Launch the Maru."  
  
"The Maru is out," Tyr stated, "…All cables are attached."  
  
"The Maru is holding the enemy ship," Rommie said, "But they've already lost bucky cables 2, 5, and 7."  
  
"Full volley," Dylan ordered, "Deploy strategic arrows."  
  
"The battleship has been destroyed," Tyr reported.  
  
"All hands stand down," Dylan ordered, pressing keys on his console, "Maru, this is Andromeda, come in."  
  
"We're alive," Beka responded, "But next time you try to pull something like that, I'm getting Andromeda, and you're flying the Maru."  
  
"So noted," Dylan half-smiled as the Maru prepared to return to the hanger bay.  
  
"There is another vessel coming out of slipstream. It's a Neitzchian destroyer," Rommie stated a few moments later, "They're sending a general distress signal."  
  
"Put them through," Dylan ordered.  
  
"Captain Hunt," The tall Neitzchian began.  
  
"Kyn."  
  
"I wouldn't normally approach you this way, but rumor has it that you've dealt with interdimensional vortices before," Kyn said, "We're having a slight problem with such a vortex, and I'd like to know how you got rid of the first one."  
  
"Why should I help you?" Dylan asked.  
  
"Aren't you the galant, generous High Guard captain we've heard so much about?" Kyn asked.  
  
"You tried to kill me and take over my ship," Dylan responded, "Generosity only goes so far."  
  
"Fine. If you do this, I'll never bother you or the Andromeda again."  
  
"Alright," Dylan responded, "Come over to my ship, and we can discuss the situation."  
  
"You're a shrewd leader," Kyn nodded, "I can see why the Kodiak stays on that ship. Expect my shuttle in an hour."  
  
"One hour," Dylan nodded, "Hunt out."  
  
"He has no interest in a cease fire. As soon as you close the vortex for him, he'll have your head on a plate, assuming the whole situation isn't a ruse to get aboard," Tyr said.  
  
"I know," Dylan responded, "But if I don't at least try to work with him, we'll never be able to have diplomatic relations with them. Raptor pride is one of the largest and most powerful Neitzchian prides in this galaxy, and we won't be able to restore the Commonwealth if they're trying to destroy it."  
  
"Just don't let your idealism get in the way of your mistrust."  
  
"You should know by now that I would never trust any Neitzchian."  
  
"Point taken," Tyr responded, following Dylan off the bridge.  
  
***  
  
"Harper, you're supposed to be wearing something nice," Trance dropped onto the catwalk.  
  
"You mean so I can have dinner with the Neit that tried to steal Andromeda? Yeah right."  
  
"This dinner is important," Rommie's holographic image appeared next to them, "Dylan wants us all to try to impress Kyn."  
  
"Why does he want us to impress that jerk?"  
  
"The new Commonwealth won't be able to survive in a state of conflict with his pride for long. If we can't solve our problems diplomatically, we won't have much hope of success."  
  
"Well, it looks like we can say sayonara to the new Commonwealth, because there's no way the Raptors are going to back down."  
  
"Maybe if we help Kyn, he'll realise that we're nice people, and he won't want to hurt us anymore," Trance offered.  
  
"Have you met Tyr?" Harper responded.  
  
"He's not a bad guy on the inside," Trance said, "He just had a tough life. If we keep being nice to him…"  
  
"He'll still stab us in the back the next time he gets a chance to join up with some Neitzchians."  
  
"This isn't the time to argue about Neitzchian politics," Rommie admonished, "Harper, change your clothes."  
  
"But I…" Harper's objection fell on deaf ears, as Rommie's hologram vanished. Trance grinned at him as he headed to his quarters.  
  
***  
  
"So, the attack was just a misunderstanding?" Dylan looked at the Neitzchian sceptically.  
  
"The captain of that ship was a bit overzealous," Kyn responded, "You know how Neitzchians are. It's all about taking initiative, and sometimes we don't follow orders.  
  
"I know," Dylan responded, remembering Rhade, "But why did you send a battleship to find us?"  
  
"It was a heavy exploration vessel," Kyn responded.  
  
"Rommie?" Dylan turned.  
  
The android looked squarely at Kyn, "Leviathan Roused class, mark 21 Raptor Pride refit. Armaments: 5 ELS missle tubes, 3 AP Cannons, 9 PDL turrets, and 2 radiating countermeasure generators. Maximum speed: 38 PSL."  
  
"It doesn't sound like much of an explorer to me," Tyr added.  
  
"This is all beside the point," Kyn waved his hand dismissively, "The fact is that we have a common enemy. A strange species called the Borg have begun… Is that boy alright?"  
  
Harper had suddenly begun choaking on his drink. Everyone turned immediately to see what was wrong.  
  
"Harper!" Beka called out.  
  
Harper sputtered, "Did you say 'Borg'?"  
  
"I take it he's heard of them before."  
  
"What are they doing?" Harper asked urgently.  
  
"They've captured a number of our ships, and they've been building up a base near the center of our territory. So far, we haven't been able to destroy any of their ships, despite a massive numerical advantage."  
  
"We have to stop them now," Harper urged, "They'll just keep getting stronger if we don't."  
  
"How do you plan to do that?" Kyn asked, remaining cynical as always.  
  
"Nanobots," Harper answered immediately, "If we can beat their nanotech, we should be able to de-assimilate one of their drones. That should give us all the information we need."  
  
"When will all this be ready?" Kyn asked.  
  
"I'll be done in a couple of hours," Harper stated, "We just have to find a way to inject one of them."  
  
"I'm sure an opportunity while present itself, considering their strong desire to board our ships."  
  
"Yeah, the tough part is going to be getting the de-assimilated drone away from the rest of the collective before they adapt."  
  
"Don't worry, I will see that this doesn't fail," Kyn responded.  
  
"Well, we had better get started," Dylan responded, standing and extending his hand to Kyn, "It's been a pleasure working with you."  
  
Kyn looked slightly amused at this gesture, "My commendations to your crew, Captain Hunt."  
  
"Tyr, would you care to escort our guest to his ship."  
  
"Gladly," Tyr stood up, and motioned with his guass gun, "This way."  
  
Once the pair were well out of ear shot, Dylan leaned over to Rommie and whispered, "Keep an eye on them. If Tyr tries to activate privacy mode, activate surveillance. Authorization code Lexic Dark 225."  
  
"Surveillance systems ready," Rommie responded.  
  
***  
  
"I've been watching you," Kyn stated as they were walking down the hall, "I'll admit, I'm somewhat impressed. You've carried yourself like a true Neitzchian, despite your… odd choice of employment."  
  
"I don't care about your approval," Tyr responded.  
  
"You might change your mind when you hear what I have to say."  
  
"I'm listening."  
  
"You're a strong male, and from the looks of things, you probably have good genes. In fact, I'd call you remarkable, considering the fact that Kodiaks didn't use steroids. We could use someone like you in the pride."  
  
"You're only want me to leave the ship, so that it will be easier to take over."  
  
"What is that to you?"  
  
Tyr cocked his head slightly, "How do I know you won't kill me after I defect?"  
  
"As you well know, your enemies, the Dragons, are at war with Sabra-Jaguar. We may not be taking sides yet, but some of us want to help in the downfall of Drago-Kazov. Between our three prides, there is no chance of defeat. Some of the others think the cost of such a war would outway the benefits, but I and my supports feel that they have underestimated the dependancy of the Dragons. Slavery has made them weak and decidant, I intend to take advantage of that."  
  
"What difference would I make in a pride the size of yours?"  
  
"I was hoping that you would use your training as a mercenary to help me 'persuade' some of my political opponents. We don't usually favor covert operations, so your skill would be very valuable. I will name you as one of my chief lieutenants, and I can virtually guarantee that several excellent females will choose you once this is over."  
  
"When do you want me to leave?" Tyr asked evenly.  
  
"Once the Borg are gone, I want you to take one of their Lancer drop pods. These High Guard ships carry some nice equipment, and I wouldn't mind getting some of it in advance. Try to get some Force Lances and ECM generators if you can."  
  
"It won't be a problem," Tyr stated as he ushered Kyn into the hanger deck.  
  
***  
  
"I hope your people are ready," Kyn stated, "Because the Borg are already on their way."  
  
"Don't worry, they won't get past us," Dylan responded, "Hunt out."  
  
"I'm picking up a single Borg vessel on an intercept course," Rommie stated, "It's a diamond."  
  
"A diamond?" Harper asked, "They only use that for the Borg Queen…"  
  
"They're trying to break into…" Rommie's face on the viewscreen was suddenly replaced by an image of the Borg queen.  
  
"Harper," The Queen smiled, "I'm glad to see you again."  
  
"Uhhh…" Harper was taken aback, "Again?"  
  
"You died in our last encounter, but thanks to the temporal incursion device, we may have a chance to assimilate you after all."  
  
Without warning, the Queen beamed over to the Andromeda, "Welcome to the collective."  
  
"Beka, slipstream!" Dylan ordered.  
  
"Transiting!" Beka responded hastily as the vessel escaped from the Borg ship.  
  
"Escape is irrelevant," The Queen responded, "You have no weapon that can stop me. Soon, your distinctiveness will be added to our own."  
  
"Really?" Harper raised an injector gun, pointing it at the lone Borg. The Queen looked defiant, waiting for him to fire. He pressed the button, causing a small projectile to launch forward. To his dismay, it bounced harmlessly off a shield a few centimeters beyond the Queen's body.  
  
"Do you finally understand? There is no chance of escape."  
  
"Yee-ahhh!" A voice shouted from the top of a bulkhead above the Queen. A streak of purple dropped to the ground. The Queen's arm swung back. Without turning, her tubules plunged into Trance's neck, injecting her with nanoprobes. As she fell, Trance managed to drive the nanosyringe into a small point of exposed flesh near the Queen's shoulder.  
  
"Trance!" Harper shouted, running over to her. For that moment, he had no fear of the Queen.  
  
"You have injected me with nanobots," The Queen stated, "We have already adapted to your nanotechnology. It will not…"  
Suddenly, the Borg Queen slumped to the deck. Harper didn't even notice, as he bent over Trance's form. He injected her with a dose of his anti-assimilation nanobots, but the color was still draining from her. Tubules began to form on her body.  
  
"Rommie, get them to med deck," Dylan ordered, "Monitor their progress, and keep security tight."  
  
Rommie quickly picked up Trance and held her carefully as she racd down to the medical facilities. One of the repair bots followed close behind with the Borg Queen.  
  
***  
  
"Captain," Rommie's hologram appeared in front of Dylan.  
  
"Rommie, you don't have to…" Dylan began.  
  
"Tyr's engaged privacy mode, and he's prepping one of the drop pods for launch.  
  
"What?" Dylan asked, shocked.  
  
"He's in launch bay 3."  
  
"Rommie, lock down all drop pods," Dylan ordered as he began running to the launch bay, "Don't let anything launch."  
  
"He's overriding my security," Rommie answered apologetically, "He's launched the pod."  
  
Dylan burst into the launch bay to see for himself, "Tyr!"  
  
"Were you looking for me?" The Neitzchian asked, mildly amused by Dylan's reaction.  
  
"You're still here," Dylan said.  
  
"The first rule of covering up an assassination is to kill the assassin," Tyr responded, "Kyn would never let me join his pride after I killed his enemies."  
  
"What about the pod?" Rommie asked.  
  
"I imagine one of Kyn's underlings will get a very unpleasant surprise when its opened," Tyr answered, "Now, how is Trance?"  
  
"Concerned?" Dylan asked.  
  
"I have to be aware of what is going on around me," Tyr stated.  
  
"She isn't doing well," Rommie answered bluntly, "We have her in stasis, and Harper is hoping that it will give him enough time to find out why she isn't responding to the nanobots."  
  
"What about the Borg Queen?"  
  
"She seems to be recovering. I think she'll wake up in a few hours. For some reason, the nanobots are working on her."  
  
***  
  
The silent form began to stir. Only slightly at first, but quickly growing more awake. She moaned slightly as she sat upright. She was visibly dazed as she surveyed the room.  
  
"How do you feel?" A hologram appeared next to her bed.  
  
"Where am I?"  
  
"Med deck," Rommie explained, "Do you remember how you got here?"  
  
"Umph," She put her hand up to her head, "I think so… The Andromeda. I was here before. …When I was with the Borg. We were one."  
  
"What?"  
  
"History was changed," The young woman was still trying to recover from everything that had happened, "You don't remember, but we… we were shielded. In the other timeline, this ship was assimilated into the collective. We were both part of it."  
  
"Do you remember your name?"  
  
"I don't remember much from before my assimilation. I think they used to call me Alana."  
  
"Andromeda, please," Rev walked into the room, "This young woman needs rest."  
  
"No, I'm alright. I want to help you stop the Borg."  
  
"You'll have a chance to do that soon enough. Right now…"  
  
"We have to act right now. We can't afford to wait."  
  
"Why?" Rommie asked, "What's going to happen."  
  
"Get everyone together for a conference on the bridge," Alana stood up, "I'll explain on the way."  
  
"I'll talk to the Captain," Rommie responded.  
  
***  
  
"Harper, you have some kind of quantum teleportation device, don't you?" Alana began.  
  
"How did you know about that?" Harper asked.  
  
"This ship was assimilated, and memory chips implanted in my body allow me to remember."  
  
"What do you want to do with it?" Harper wanted to know, "It's a fifty-fifty shot at best."  
  
"I think I can rig up a Heisenberg compensator for it," Alana responded, "Then, we can hook it up to a blackhole and send someone through."  
  
"We can't send it anywhere through a blackhole, unless there is a ship hooked into it somewhere else."  
  
"Luckily for us, the Borg have decided that the most efficient long range drive system is Singularity Drive. I can open a wormhole from the nearest black hole to any of their ships."  
  
"What do you suggest we do once we get aboard one of their ships?" Tyr asked, "Wave knives in front of them and demand they surrender?"  
  
Alana spoke earnestly, "Don't worry. I know of a way to stop them. We may not make it out of this alive, but it's our only hope."  
  
***  
  
The room was dark. The sound of metallic Borg boots echoed against the floor plates. The ominous, reverberating sound was getting to them. Not many would be willing to enter Unimatrix 01 for any reason, let alone to try and infiltrate the most heavily defended area of the complex. However, Alana had not been exaggerating when she stated that the Borg were stretched extremely thin. Before long, they were in sight of the target.  
  
"Now, we run," Arlana stated, "Forcefields should be down for another few minutes. When they go up, we won't have a chance."  
  
"Let's bring it," Dylan responded softly. His jaw tightened reflexively as he prepared for the final charge into danger.  
  
Simultaneously, all of them charged into the open, hoping that one of them would get through. There was no other way to get to the target, and even Tyr was willing to risk his life for this. There would be no future otherwise.  
  
Without warning, a force field appeared in front of them. In seconds, they were sealed in by an invisible wall surrounding them on all sides, even above and below. Drones entered the room and encircled the captives.  
  
"Look how small you've already become," The female voice spoke from the darkness, "Have you already forgotten how quickly we adapt?"  
  
"You'll never assimilate me again," Alana spoke boldly, "Death first!"  
  
"Death is irrelevant," The new Borg Queen emerged from the shadows, "Your distinctiveness will once again be added to our perfection."  
  
Harper leaned over to Beka, "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss."  
  
"We'll resist you every step of the way," Arlana responded.  
  
"I think you know the standard response to that," The Borg Queen walked up to the force field, "But its time to dispense with the pleasantries. Your experiences after being removed from the collective will add to our perfection."  
  
Arlana stood up, coming to within a few centimeters of the Borg Queen. Both of them had artificial bodies of similar size, and they both were covered almost entirely with Borg implants. Had it not been for the color of Arlana's skin, not even the collective could have used visual analysis to determine that she was no longer a Queen.  
  
"Add this to your perfection," Arlana responded angrily, placing her hand against the force field. Using her remaining Borg technology, she caused the field to collapse.  
  
"Stop them!" The Queen shouted, her verbal command a relic of the time before direct neural connections.  
  
Arlana plunged her tubules into the neck of the Borg Queen, while the Andromeda crew charged for their target.  
  
"What are you going?" The Queen demanded, trying to break the connection.  
  
"We are one," Arlana responded, "You will be assimilated into my collective."  
  
Drones shuffled forward to sieze the escaping attackers. The Andromeda crew fired into the advancing ranks of drones, but personal shields prevented any of the high speed projectiles from getting through. Tyr drew his knife and deftly slashed the exposed areas of several drones, while Rommie threw her attackers from the combat area. Dylan, Harper, and Beka worked together, trying desperately to hold off the drones using extended force lances as they struggled to get to their target. Rev sprayed one drone with paralytic venom, causing it to collapse. His powerful claws brough down a number of drones as he pushed toward the goal.  
  
Arlana heard could hear the mental orders of the still-functioning Borg Queen in her mind, even as their nanobots fought each other for control, 'Unsuitable for assimilation. Destroy target.'  
  
As one, numerous drones raised their arms and fired green bolts of energy at Rommie. The avatar fell almost instantly under the withering hail of weapons fire. Dylan turned when he heard the sound of weapons fire in her direction. He shouted to her, but the avatar was already destroyed. In that instant while his guard was down, a drone gripped his shoulder like a vice. He tried to use his force lance to break free, but the drone was far too strong. He felt Borg nanotubes push through his skin, and before long the voice of the collective began to ring in his ears.  
  
Isolated from the others, Tyr couldn't make any progress. He cut down drone after drone, but there was always another ready to fill the breach. Tyr knew that he couldn't keep this up for ever. Eventually, even Neitzchian get tired, and make mistakes. He had to find another way out. He looked desperately, but there was no hand holds above, and the drones had him completely surrounded. In that instant, he knew that he would die on that spot.  
  
Rev looked back to see Beka and Harper struggling against their opponents. A drone had caught Beka's force lance, and she couldn't break it free. Harper swung with his lance, delivering a powerful blow to the drone's head, but it didn't even respond. It didn't take long for the rest of the zombie-like cyborgs to overrun the pair as they tried to escape.  
  
From Rev's vantage point, it was obvious that Tyr would not last much longer, and Rev could not hold off so many on his own. There was only one chance. He had to make a run for it. There was little chance of success, but even that was better than certain failure.  
  
Rev charged in the direction of the wall, brushing by three drones as he went. He climbed along the bulk head, and reached a precipice above the seathing horde of drones below. He ran along the catwalk, even as more drones were beamed in around him. In a moment, the target was practically within reach on the floor below. For a brief moment, he looked at the drones below, and wondered if he might have been better off had he learned to meditate while working out in a gym.  
  
He jumped, landing just beyond the reach of his persuers. Built for strength rather than speed, the ungainly Borg drones attempted to turn and attack again, but it was too late. Rev was beyond them, and nothing could stop him from reaching his destination. He only glanced at the portal for a moment and, remembering what Harper had told him, lept through the gateway. 


	8. Heart of the Divine

Rev looked around. He could only see a great white expanse in all directions. He called out to anyone who might be listening, "Did I make it? Or is this the home of the Divine?"  
  
"You survived," A voice responded, seemingly from nowhere.  
  
Rev continued to look around as he spoke, "Are you the Guardian on the Edge of Forever?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"No one told me that it would be like this," Rev responded.  
  
"How I interact changes with each person. For you, this setting and this form of communication was most appropriate."  
  
"Thank you for trying to make me more comfortable, but I have a request."  
  
"You want to change history. I cannot do that," The Guardian paused for a moment, "But you can."  
  
"How?" Rev asked.  
  
"I will show you how to keep the Borg from gaining the vortex technology, but only you can carry it out."  
  
"This ought to be worth watching," Another voice stated from behind Rev.  
  
Rev spun around, "How did you get here?"  
  
"How did I get here? I'm Q; I'm wherever I want to be. You didn't really think I'd just ignore the big finish did you?"  
  
"Why are you here?" Rev asked, already feeling annoyance at Q's mannerisms.  
  
"Like I told you when we first met, I'm just here to observe. Just think of me as a fly on the wall."  
  
"It is time to go," The Guardian stated, and Rev was instantly transported to a distant place and time. The small room was like nothing he had ever seen before. Nothing moved, not even the bizarre alien in the corner of the room.  
  
"Where am I?"  
  
"This is the main research complex of the ones you call Species 8475. The creature standing before you will eventually invent the Vortex technology. If you wish to prevent the decimation of the universe by the Borg, you must kill him."  
  
"I can't," Rev responded, "I can't kill an innocent being in cold blood."  
  
"Are you aware of the number of creatures killed by Species 8475?" The Guardian asked, "They have decimated entire planets solely for malice."  
  
"But…" Rev paused, "This is not a soldier. Did he have a part in deciding to attack those planets?"  
  
"Those decisions were not his to make."  
  
"He is innocent," Rev concluded, "I cannot hold him responsible for the actions of his people."  
  
"You must do this, for the greater good."  
  
"How can something that is good come from an evil action?" Rev demanded, "The Divine would not force me to comit murder to accomplish His goals."  
  
"Doesn't the Divine work in mysterious ways? If only evil can come from evil, then your entire life must have been the pinacle of wickedness."  
  
"I… do not believe that he would use such means…"  
  
"Are you certain of that?"  
  
Before Rev could respond, Q appeared next to him, "Remember what I told you before. This is the moment when you have to choose between the good of the one, and the good of the many."  
  
"I do remember what you told me," Rev shot back, his beliefs suddenly as firm as iron, "You told me that the Magog hordes are only doing what they must to survive. But I will not sink to that level. I will not commit this evil because it looks like the best option in my limited sight. I put my trust in the Divine."  
  
"I knew you could do it," Q smiled, "You won't remember any of this, but I'll be watching you. You've got a lot of promise."  
  
"You… were on my side?" Rev asked.  
  
"Well, I couldn't just tell you what to do, but it looks like playing devil's advocate did just as well."  
  
"What about the Borg?"  
  
"When you last visited me, you made a very different choice with very serious consequences," The Guardian answered, "I will not describe how you came to find me, except that you and the Andromeda were involved in numerous battles with Species 8475. You witnessed them destroying entire fleets, decimating planets, and forcing sentients into slavery. You were alone then, too. When you were given the option of killing that scientist, you did, to keep Species 8475 from attacking other universes. Unfortunately, without the guidance of this visonary, Species 8475 continued to be malevolent and aggressive. Eventually, their war with the Borg allowed one of them to be assimilated, and that is what caused all of this tragedy to take place. However, this time you have erred on the side of hope, and for that, the universe is forever in your debt."  
  
***  
  
Rev tried to pick up the fallen plant, but the metal pot clattered to the ground, causing dirt to cascade across the floor. He looked at the mess for a moment, then slowly walked off to find some way of cleaning it up.  
  
'Why must I have hands like these?' He thought, 'I can't shake hands as humans do, and I can barely hold small things like the plant. These claws, they are only good for thing: Killing. How can the Divine create creatures like me?"  
  
"Rev, what are you doing?" The young voice asked.  
  
"Trance," Rev turned, "I'm sorry, but I seem to have dropped one of your planets. I know how much they mean to you…"  
  
"You mean Alice?" Trance asked, "I noticed. But it's ok, she doesn't get out enough anyway."  
  
"Thank you," Rev smiled, "It makes me feel better when you say things like that."  
  
"Come on," Trance said, "Let's go put Alice in bed six."  
  
Rev chuckled under his breath as she led him over to the sixth plant bed in hydroponics. It was so pleasant to be around her. She always had faith that things would turn out well, even when Rev didn't. He was glad that he didn't have to go through the difficult times without her.  
  
  
--- Epilogue  
  
"So, how did it go?"  
  
"Better than I expected," Ishan answered, "Everything seems to be fixed. No one remembers anything, except for the Q and the rest of the super-sentient species."  
  
"The temporal shields weren't a problem?"  
  
"You know the Guardian. He wouldn't let something like that get in his way."  
  
The director of the organization laughed slighty, "I have been meaning to talk to him again one of these days, though I hear the Federation have been keeping him pretty good company."  
  
"I'm going down there tomarrow for some follow-up. You should come along."  
  
"I can't," The director smiled, "The Q Continuum is still pretty upset about the whole thing, and I'll have to go down there in person to get everything settled down. In fact, I've got more work now than I did during the actual invasion. Once I'm through with the Continuum, I have to drop by and see the Douwd. One of them was almost assimilated, after all. Then, I'm off to see the Master of the Force, and well… you get the picture."  
  
"You are swamped," Ishan observed, "Just forget about that promotion I've been wanting. All the case studies in the multiverse and worth that kind of trouble."  
  
"How are the humans, by the way?"  
  
"I was pretty impressed by them through the whole ordeal. They're pretty tough, for sentients." 


End file.
